smith



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. W. SMITH.

POLE CHANGER.

No. 332,845. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

'HHI

N, FETERS. Pholo-Lwm mmw. Wxshmginu. n, c,

2 SheetsSheet 2.

E. W; SMITH.

POLE CHANGER.

Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

nikho n her. Waihinglon, n c,

UNiTnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

FLIPHALET XV. SMITH, OF NEW'ARK, NE'W JERSEY.

POLE-CHANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 170,332,845, dated December 22, 1885,

Application filed June 21, 1884. Serial No. 135,590.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIPHALET W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pole-Changers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as willenable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pole-changing devices for reversing the current on the line,whereby the currents from the positive and negative poles of a battery, by means of the automaticallyworking mechanism hereinafter described, are alternately employedin ringing a bell in the telephone-service or for any other purpose to which such electrical action is applicable.

The invention consists in the construction and operation of the mechanism,substantially as illustrated in the drawings, and described and claimed hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, comprised in two sheets, in which similar referenceletters indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures contained therein, Figure 1 is a plan view of my automatic currentchanger. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, looking in the direction of the arrow :0, one of the electro-magnets being removed. Fig. 3 is a section through the base-board in the direction indicated by the arrow as in Fig. 1, the magnets, 850., being in elevation. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the current-changing portion of the mechanism, and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of minor portions of the device.

Heretofore the various appliances devised to utilize the anode and cathode of a battery independently and alternately have been dependent upon some direct outside manipulation to produce the desired result.

In my device the currents from the opposite poles are constantly available, the mechanism sending the currents automatically on the line.

My invention is composed, generically, of mechanism which in its operation actuates (No model.)

other mechanism by which the currents from the electrodes are alternately permitted to pass over the line-wire to the ringing apparatus or to any other desired point.

The actuating or motor mechanism consists of the wheel A, the spokes a of which have arranged below and secured thereto soft-iron bars a, equaling in number the number of spokes,which may be increased or diminished from the number shown in the drawings, the electro-magnets B B, the shaft 0, arranged centrally between the magnets, to which the wheel Ais secured, having also attached thereto the cylindrical pieces D E, the ends of said shaft bearing in an insulating-piece, f, in the barf, and the set-screw y in the cross-piece of the frame, as shown in Fig. 2, and the various wires and appliances whereby the electrical current is conducted through theshaft and magnets and to and from the motor-battery, as set forth below in the description of the operation of the parts. The upper part of the drum D is provided with pins d, arranged, preferably, in parallel planes, two pins in each plane placed on opposite sides of the drum, and so arranged that one pin is provided to each quarter of the drum, as indicated in Fig. 5. The cylindrical piece or collarE is secured to the shaft, preferably below the cylinder D, and is,in common with the other parts of the apparatus, where necessary, composed of conducting material. In the periphery of the said collar are countersunk insulating-pieces e,'at equal distances apart, corresponding in number to the number of bars a attached to the wheel A, so that the peripheral surface of said collar is divided equally into conducting and non-conducting points.

The mechanism whereby the currents from the positive and negative poles of the ringing battery are alternately sent on the line for ringing the bell or for other purposes consists of the flexible and elastic strips 1) a secured by one end to the upright m, the other ends thereof being free and approaching near to the drum D, the said elastic strips being placed in the same plane as the pins d thereon, and engaging therewith as the drum revolves; the post 0, provided with the pins 0 0 against which the strips normally rest; the spring-band q, secured by one end to the upright m, the other end engaging with the drum D, as shown in Fig. 4., and the wires connecting the ringing-battery and the line and earth wires, as shown in same figure.

In the drawings, h h are the binding-posts, to which the wires from the battery which operates the motor are attached. t t" are the posts which receive the wires from the ringing-battery,and j j are the posts to which the line and earth wires are attached. Z is a wire, preferably insulated, connecting the electromagnets.

ln Fig. 2, S is a post in connection with which is arranged an adjustable rod having secured thereto a spring-piece, s, the end of which bears against the collar E. A setscrew holds said rod firmly in position.

The operation of the motor is substantially as follows: The current from the battery passes through the wire 1, post h, wire 2 on the under side of the base-board, said wire connecting with the metallic frame at 3; thence through said frame to the shaft 0, spring-piece 8, rod, binding-post S, wire 4 on the under side of the board, magnet B, wire 1, magnet B, wire 5 to the post h, and wire 6 to the other pole of the battery, thus completing the circuit. As the current energizes the magnets, they attract the bars a, secured to the wheel A, causing a rotary motion of said wheel; but in order to produce a continuous rotary motion thereof it is necessary that the circuit be broken at intervals, the magnets attracting two opposite bars, and then as the force of attraction ceases the momentum of the wheel carries it forward, thereby bringing the next opposite bars under the attraction of the magnets, the circuit in the interim being restored. By thus making and breaking the circuit a continuous rotary action is produced in the wheel A, which in turn actuates the shaft 0 and the parts secured thereto.

As described above, the course of the current is through the collar E, secured upon the shaft 0, and spring-piece 8. By the revolution of the collar the said spring-piece engages alternately with the insulating-pieces e and the conducting-points on said collar, thus making and breaking the circuit, thereby causing the rotary motion of the wheel. The normal course of the current from the positive pole of the ringing-battery is through the wire 7, post 6, wire 8, strip 19, pin 0', post 0,- thence through the pin 0, strip a, wire 9, post t, wire 10, back to the battery at the negative pole. As the drum or cylinder D revolves by the action of the motor, the pins d thereon engage with the strips 19 and n, and lift them alternately at regular intervals from their engagement with the points 0 o. WVhen the strip a, for example, is separated from the point 0 by this action, the course of the current is changed. The current from the positive pole passes through the post 0 and linewire to the ringing apparatus, and the current from the negative pole passes from the strip a through the d thereon the contact between the strips 12' and n and the points 0 and 0 is rapidly made and broken, thus sending the currents from the positive and negative poles of the battery on the line-wire to the ringing apparatus alternately and at regular intervals.

As will be readily understood, the number of times the contact between the strips 1; and n and points 0 and 0 may be made and broken in a given time can be increased or diminished by employing a greater or less number of pins on the drum D. The line-wire may be connected with the spring-band q instead of the post 0, reversing the direction of the current; but the arrangement hereinbefore fully described is considered preferable.

I am aware that motive power has been evolved from the attraction and non-attraction of electro-magnets upon iron bars secured to a shaft, which is thereby caused to revolve, as is shown in the patent to Bawsel, N 0. 274,552. The power thus produced is employed in operating a pole-changer working on the same shaft to which the iron bars are secured. In the patent referred toviz., Bawsels-the magnets and shaft are arranged horizontally, and the cross-bars, by means of which a rotary motion is imparted to the shaft, revolve in a vertical plane. This arrangement is attended with great disadvantages, as the magnets in attracting the armatures or iron crossbars have not only the friction of the moving parts to contend with, but, in addition thereto, must overcome the attraction of gravity upon the iron bars, which produces unsteadiness of motion in the shaft and parts secured thereto. In my motor mechanism the electro-magnets are arranged vertically, as is also the shaft, which is placed between the magnets, and the iron armatures attached to a wheel revolving in a horizontal plane above the said magnets, the wheel being secured to the shaft. This arrangement secures great steadiness and regularity of motion, and in consequence causes the pole-changer to work with corresponding regularity and perfectness.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therein is The combination, with an electric motor consisting of vertically-arranged electro-magnets B, a shaft, 0, placed between said magnets and carrying a wheel, A, which is situated abovesaid magnets and rotates in a horizontal plane, said shaft having also a drum, D, secured thereto but insulated therefrom, procircuit, and a battery and its circuit, all said parts being arranged and operating for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 15 have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of ing conducting and non-conducting points, which are also secured to said shaft, and elastic strip 8, engaging With said collar, and the 1not0r-battery and its circuit, of a pole-changing device consisting of contact-points 0 0 in June, 1884.

the line-circuit, elastic stripsp n in the circuit r T of the pole-changing battery and adapted to ELTPHALEE SMITH engage with the said contact-points and the XVitnesses:

vided with pins thereon, and a collar, E, hav- F. F. CAMPBELL, CHARLES H. PELL.

projections on the drum D, an elastic band bea ring against said drum D and in the ground- 

